the jimmymac attack!
This is a collection of assorted observations from my travels and experiences. Many of the posts refer to life in Taiwan where I spent a year living and working. And many others are about my own country, Canada.Sunday, June 19, 2005
haircut
I went for a haircut tonight. I get one every month or two. This afternoon I went to a place I've gone to the last couple of times. The ladies were good. The place was empty. Totally vacant. Every fixture in the place has been removed. I don't know if they moved or went out of business. So I had to find another place.
I finally found one that looked good. Down an alley and around a corner. Very clean and only one customer in a chair. Three ladies talking. Only $250 NT. So I sit in the chair and the lady puts the apron around me. She puts it on so tight around my neck I have to try to loosen it. She fixes it. She does not speak any English and my fundamental Chinese is no help. She is going on and on talking to me anyway and making motions like she is going shave my head. I make motions with my fingers like scissors. Finally I decide to pull out my cell phone dictionary. My cell phone has a marvelous extra function. It has an electronic dictionary which translates English into Chinese and vice versa. In a pinch I can look up a word and show people the Chinese word. I punch in 'haircut'. It seems highly, highly unnecessary to me to do this when I'm sitting in a barber chair in a barber shop but I don't want my head shaved. The lady's assistant looks at my phone and reads it. There is a lot of laughter from the 3 ladies and the other customer. They probably also think it's ridiculous I should have to ask for a haircut under these circumstances. So I think this settles the matter. I guess the lady did not think so. I heard the customer mention the Chinese word for interpreter. I thought he was just talking. No. A man is suddenly standing beside me asking if I want my hair cut shorter. His English is not very good but he speaks much more than anyone else. I think he and his question are ridiculous and unnecessary. I tell him I do not want my hair to be longer. He tells the others and there is an eruption of laughter. I hope they got the joke. In the end I received a good haircut and all is well. It was a good experience and I guess I was some unexpected entertainment for them. Sometimes life is good...
I finally found one that looked good. Down an alley and around a corner. Very clean and only one customer in a chair. Three ladies talking. Only $250 NT. So I sit in the chair and the lady puts the apron around me. She puts it on so tight around my neck I have to try to loosen it. She fixes it. She does not speak any English and my fundamental Chinese is no help. She is going on and on talking to me anyway and making motions like she is going shave my head. I make motions with my fingers like scissors. Finally I decide to pull out my cell phone dictionary. My cell phone has a marvelous extra function. It has an electronic dictionary which translates English into Chinese and vice versa. In a pinch I can look up a word and show people the Chinese word. I punch in 'haircut'. It seems highly, highly unnecessary to me to do this when I'm sitting in a barber chair in a barber shop but I don't want my head shaved. The lady's assistant looks at my phone and reads it. There is a lot of laughter from the 3 ladies and the other customer. They probably also think it's ridiculous I should have to ask for a haircut under these circumstances. So I think this settles the matter. I guess the lady did not think so. I heard the customer mention the Chinese word for interpreter. I thought he was just talking. No. A man is suddenly standing beside me asking if I want my hair cut shorter. His English is not very good but he speaks much more than anyone else. I think he and his question are ridiculous and unnecessary. I tell him I do not want my hair to be longer. He tells the others and there is an eruption of laughter. I hope they got the joke. In the end I received a good haircut and all is well. It was a good experience and I guess I was some unexpected entertainment for them. Sometimes life is good...
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